Chapter 44

7/18 This is the 7th post of the day.

"What's all the commotion at this hour?"

Yagov, the guild master, said this as soon as he opened his mouth. He glanced at me and then glared at the three fools.

(What's going on? It seems like Yagov has a bad impression of these three... Was their reputation already bad to begin with?)

"Anyway, this place is bothering the others. Follow me."

Yagov walked away without turning back, so I followed him. The three fools also followed, probably because it was an order from the guild master.

At that moment, Amanda also stood up and followed. (Amanda is in charge of the Amanda Counter, but I guess her absence from the reception desk won't cause much trouble.)

We all went to a different room next to the one where we had our training session before.

This room seemed to be for larger negotiations, with a low table in the center and sofas on both sides that could seat about three people each. There was also a single chair in a place that looked like a birthday seat. Yagov sat in the birthday seat, so I sat on the sofa.

Naturally, the three fools sat on the opposite sofa.

I thought Amanda would stand behind Yagov, but she surprisingly sat next to me, which made me nervous...

But I felt like I had gained an ally, so I decided to accept it without saying anything.

"So, what's the problem? Explain your side of the story. Audent, you can speak for your group. No one is to interrupt until the explanation is finished."

Oh, he's scary...

His eyes seem to be able to see through lies.

I got goosebumps, but since I had nothing to lie about, I just calmly told the truth.

The three fools, on the other hand, didn't seem to realize anything.

Of course, they wouldn't realize.

They spun their own convenient, flowery story filled with lies, while Amanda objectively explained what kind of consultation I had received at the reception and the events of today to Yagov.

"Hmm... First of all, the guild generally does not get involved in personal disputes between hunters. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, we learned that in the training."

"Of course, we understand."

"So, I'm not speaking as the guild master, but as an individual. Audent, why did you approach Loki?"

"Huh? Well, the kid was alone in the Locker Plains, so I thought I'd let him join our party early as a senior."

"I heard that already. What I want to know is your true intention, not just the pretext."

"Well... He was gathering a decent amount of materials on his own, and if he joined our party, it would be a bit of a plus..."

"You've been a hunter for over five years. You must have realized that it would be more than just a bit of a plus, but a significant, almost disproportionate increase in income, right?"

"Um..."

"In other words, you aimed for your own income rather than Loki's safety. Am I wrong?"

"N-no! It's true that I considered the income, but as a party leader, it's natural to think about such things! But I really did try to prevent the kid from rushing into danger!"

"Then why didn't you leave when you found out that Loki couldn't touch the materials because of the stone pillars? If your claim about the charm is true, you should have stayed and hunted monsters with Loki."

"Well, that's... He could take them down alone, so it was fine... He was also talking about efficiency..."

"That's different from what you said earlier. It's an action that doesn't prevent him from rushing into danger at all."

"..."

This is it, Audent is done for...

Yagov's simple logical attack has already put him on the verge of defeat.

Next, Yagov turned to me.

"Why did Loki start hunting by placing the basket on top of the stone pillar? You can speak if you can."

"There's no problem with the reason. I simply wanted to prevent material theft and do spot hunting."

"Spot hunting?"

"Um... As I mentioned, I hunt alone. So, if I keep putting materials in the basket, it gets heavier and harder to move. By placing the basket and hunting nearby monsters with almost empty hands, I can return to the basket when it gets too heavy and put the materials back in... It's a repetitive process."

"Hmm... Did you do the same thing in Palmera?"

"Yes, I think I started doing it from the first day."

"I see. That's why the amount of materials reported was always exceptionally high for Loki."

"I don't think that's the only reason. I run as much as possible to minimize movement."

"I see... So, Audent tried to take those materials?"

"Wh-what? N-no, that's not true! We didn't even touch his basket!?"

Audent, who was suddenly called out, seemed flustered...

He must have let his guard down, thinking the focus was on me.

"Loki said there were multiple marks of kicks on the stone pillars. That means you tried to knock them down while Loki was hunting, right? You couldn't touch them, not that you didn't try. Am I wrong?"

"N-no, no!! Those marks are just the kid's lies!"

"Then why didn't you deny it earlier?"

"Huh?"

"I assumed you couldn't touch the materials, but why didn't you deny it when I said that?"

"..."

Yagov is scary...

If this continues, I won't be able to eat at the inn... I want to go back to the inn as soon as possible...

The other two also seemed to realize the situation was turning bad.

Their faces were turning pale, but it was probably too late.

"That's strange, right!? Why is the guild master siding with this brat? Is this kid so important!?"

"I'm not siding with him. I'm speaking based on a comprehensive judgment of your story, Loki's story, and Amanda's story, who had already consulted with Loki and observed today's events."

"What, so what!?"

"Also, I don't want to create a situation where someone dies. Especially not our hunters."

"What do you mean...?"

"Let's say, hypothetically, what would happen if you and Loki became enemies?"

"Well... If it came to that, we have three people, and we could gather more allies if needed..."

"As a result, not only you but also those who were casually involved would die. That's the worst-case scenario."

"Are you kidding? Just one kid..."

"That's why you're stuck at F-rank. You have no risk management. How can you think someone who can gather several times more materials alone is weaker than you? Where does your confidence come from?"

"..."

"The amount of materials Loki brings back in a day is abnormal. If he's hunting alone, it would set a new record in this town. You should understand that if you're a hunter, right?"

"Um..."

"Either he has exceptional skills, a quick-witted mind, or something special—only Loki knows. But do you understand that you're trying to become enemies with someone who is not ordinary?"

It stings to be called not ordinary, but I can't deny it because I think of myself as not ordinary.

Moreover, I think Yagov is wary of me being from another world.

The goddess said that special skills are given to people from other worlds.

If I told him that I'm just treated as an outsider and my status can be seen, it might be a letdown, so I'll just keep quiet and emit an aura that I might be really amazing.

Rumble...

"We weren't trying to become enemies..."

"You aggressively tried to recruit him into your party, and when that failed, you tried to steal his materials. When that failed, you tried to take his day's work with a forced excuse. And you even planned to force him into your party and make him carry your stuff from tomorrow. You must think you're not enemies, right?"

"..."

"What should we do..."

"We didn't think it would turn into such a big deal..."

"We'll be serious from now on! Please forgive us!"

I glanced at Yagov, but he shook his head.

"Unfortunately, there is no 'from now on' for you. More accurately, there is no 'from now on' as hunters. You tried to steal someone else's materials. According to guild rules, you will be permanently expelled as hunters."

"No way!! We didn't actually steal anything!!"

"We didn't gain a single coin from this! We even lost money by following the kid!"

"We can't get other jobs now!!"

"It doesn't matter whether you actually stole or not. The act of trying to steal is evil for a hunter. There's no reason to keep someone with such thoughts in the guild."

"Seriously...?"

"It's fortunate that you didn't succeed. If you had, it would have moved from the guild's jurisdiction to the law. You should consider yourself lucky that you didn't become criminal slaves."

"..."

"Is this okay, Loki?"

Looking at Yagov, I thought to myself:

He would be quite troublesome as an enemy, but he would be incredibly reassuring as an ally!

Thank you, Yagov.

And although Amanda has been silent the whole time, just having her there made me feel much stronger... Thank you!

So, I'll make sure to resolve this matter properly.

"This is far from enough."

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